The present invention relates to a single-track roller skate of the type generally known as “in-line skates”, and is particularly concerned with an adjustable in-line skate in which the size can be adjusted to accommodate growth in the foot size of a youth, for example.
An in-line roller skate generally comprises a boot having a sole, and chassis or frame attached to the sole of the boot on which a series of wheels are rotatably mounted in a line. In-line skates in which the size of the boot can be adjusted are known in the field. However, for the most part, such skates have a boot in which the toe part is adjustably secured directly to the heel part. This means that it is difficult to maintain proper centering of the foot relative to the wheel frame when adjustments are made, and stability is reduced by having a toe to heel adjustment point on the boot. One such adjustable in-line skate is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,833 of Olson, in which the skate boot has a heel part secured to the wheel frame, and a toe part adjustably secured to the heel part. U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,592 of Chang describes a skate boot in which the toe is slidably engaged with the remainder of the boot, which is in a fixed position on the wheel frame. Similar arrangements are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,144 of Wong and U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,362 of Polk, III.